200 gallons of chemical leak, shutting Edison neighborhood

Residents of an Edison neighborhood were told to shelter in place and keep their windows closed following an incident at a chemical plant on Sunday night.

The alert was issued for the area on Meadow Road near the LyondellBasell Industries plant around 8:50 p.m., after a leak of 200 gallons of the chemical titanium tetrachloride, according to Edison police spokesman Robert Dudash.

"There was a vapor that rose into the air. That vapor dissipated and the actual liquid that leaked at the plant was remediated by the plant itself. Two males sustained some respiratory concerns that were in a nearby business, both of which were non-life threatening," Dudash told New Jersey 101.5.

Several businesses in the immediate area were evacuated until the scene was cleared around 10:30 p.m., according to Dudash.

The area is a mostly industrial area bordered by the New Jersey Turnpike and the Raritan River.

Titanium tetrachloride irritates the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes in humans. Short-term exposure may result in surface skin burns and marked congestion and constriction of various sections of the upper respiratory tract in humans, according to the EPA.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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